Brochure Printing

The USPS has specific design and mailing requirements for brochures. The size and aspect ratio of your folded brochure will determine the available postage options. From there, you’ll choose which available rate is the best fit for your campaign and budget. Save time, money and effort by ensuring you know these requirements before you start designing your brochure mailer. Check out our Direct Mail Piece Design Page for more information about brochure mail campaigns.

Half Fold:The simplest fold — a half or bi-fold. A single crease creates two panels on each side of the sheet, just like a greeting card. This is best used on thick cardstock as a promotional tool for real estate services.

Tri Fold:For the most popular fold, a tri fold, also called a letter fold, is folded twice, creating three panels on each side of the sheet. This fold is often used to showcase the services of medical companies and non-profit orgs.

Z Fold:Just like the name suggests, this fold looks like a "Z" when viewed from the side. This fold is very similar to the tri fold, folded twice creating three panels. This fold is often used for amusement/theme park brochures, especially those that include maps.

Double Parallel Fold:A double parallel fold is created by folding your paper in half, then in half again in the same direction, giving you eight panels (four on each side). When folded, it is really compact and is great for mailing.

French Fold:Popular for invitations, greeting cards, and newsletters, the French Fold is created by folding your paper in half, and in half again in the perpendicular direction. It is common for some French folded items to only have printing on one side of the paper.

Roll Fold:The roll fold, sometimes called the barrel fold, is best used on a larger paper size. It's just like a tri fold, but with more folds and panels. It creates eight panels (four on each side).

Accordion Fold:Similar to a Z fold, the accordion fold is created by folding your sheet of paper back and forth, and looks like an accordion from the side. It creates at least four panels on each side of the sheet, depending on how many folds you have, and can be opened by a single pull.

Gate Fold:A gate fold is when the two outside edges of the paper are folded inwards until the outer edges almost touch each other, forming a double door (like a gate!). It creates six panels (three per side) and usually has a large image inside once the "gates" are opened.

Double Gate Fold:A double gate fold is a gate fold that is folded in half again, creating eight panels (four on each side).

We have many folds to choose from to give you the perfect option to reveal your message to your readers.

Your file set up will depend on if your brochures print on one side or two sides.

If your brochures are for Front Only Printing, we will need a 1-page PDF of the artwork, or a single JPG.

If you are printing on the Front & Back of your brochures, we will need a 2-page PDF, one page for the front and one page for the back, or you can send us two single-page PDFs - one for the front and one for the back. Likewise, you can upload two JPG files.

If your brochures have options like folding or perforations, you’ll be able to check the placement and design on both your template and your digital proof. If your brochures have perforations, ensure your artwork, both in the tear-off perforation section and the main section, aligns properly so parts of your design are not accidentally torn off.

If you are unsure of how to upload your brochure artwork so it prints correctly, please call our customer support team – we’re happy to help!